Chronicles Of Neo Sonic I: Pre Defender Saga
by Neo Sonic
Summary: After a fateful encounter with a dying hero, the story of a warrior which transcends space and time begins. He must confront friend and foe alike in a race against time to prevent the Universe's destruction at the hands of his nemesis, Ivo Robotnik.
1. The Prologue

**The Chronicles of Neo Sonic I: Pre-Defender Saga  
Chapter 1: The Prologue  
A Sonic The Hedgehog Fanfiction  
By "Neo Sonic"**

**"Sonic The Hedgehog" characters and all other related characters and trademarks were created by and are the property of © SONICTEAM, LTD. and © SEGA OF AMERICA. All other characters and trademarks, both appearing and mentioned, are the properties of their respective creators, authors, and/or distribution companies. I do not own the characters or the series, I simply write the fan fiction.**

- - - - - - - - - -

_**Northern Galaxy - Sol 0001 - Planet Earth - DDTF Headquarters  
Nighttime**_

"Not much going around over there, either."

It was a calm, starry summer night in the suburbs of a valley city. Everything was peaceful, save for the occasional barking of a dog at a car passing by. This peace was so intense, you could actually hear a pin drop half a mile away. Everyone had turned in for the night, and only the street lights indicated there was still power, for all the lights in the houses were off. But, following the road to the base of the small mountain, onto a road that winds up there for roughly a mile which leads to the top, there was a mansion. The 2 floodlights on either side of the road that made a circle in front of the front door of the place helped you to appreciate the pastel colors it was painted with. It had a long garage on the right side in which the cars were parked. Beautiful and colorful trees were all around it. It had a very beautiful view of the light-laden valley, and to the back, more mountains. There was a constant breeze, cool with the night air.

There was someone on the mansion roof, a lightly tanned boy with a black shirt and blue jeans. He was on a towel leaning against an exhaust tube. His messy, spiky black hair kept getting in the way as his hazel eyes were looking at the screen of his wireless enabled notebook computer on his lap. The screen had a percentage indicator, holding the words "TRACKING FOR THREATS" and above it, several images flashed faster than what a normal human eye could perceive. But this boy was far from normal. FAR from it.

The boy's name is Charles. He used to be a normal human… until "it" came into his life. Then, his life never was the same. Same old cliché, for many. But the way that it changed his life was far from clichéd. His 20th birthday had gone past, and so far, it's been a year since he finished with what seemed to be the last of his problems. Little did he know, that he was starting to miss those problems. And today, he would take an important choice.

The percentage indicator, after a long while, reached 100. His eyes had never left the screen, watching image after image. After it was done, he closed the laptop and set it beside him. He sat a bit farther away from the pipe and leaned back until he was on his back. It was then that he was tempted.

"…the vast ocean of stars... beckons…"

His voice came out as a whisper. He gazed longingly up at the billions and billions of stars in the sky. He knew their names by heart. Not the Terran issued names, but their real names, in their language. Well, language was never an issue, he had the greatest computer onboard a visor which doubled as a universal translator. And before he knew the names of the stars, that same visor directed him to where he needed to go.

This boy happens to be some kind of a galactic law enforcer, or warrior. In fact, the exact term would be the Defender of Life. It sounds corny, but later on, you'll know my meaning of that, most particularly, and most importantly, of the word "defender". Right now, Charles is deep in thought.

_I'm so bored… It's been a year since I destroyed that devourer. Things didn't just go back to normal, things simply became trouble-free. There are almost no problems, no big bad guys coming up, no systems in danger of destruction, no wars, no battles. I search again and again, and what do I find? …nothing. …Absolutely nothing. So bored... there's nothing left to do anymore._

Charles kept his gaze at the sky, not blinking now. Images of the past started to dance in front of his eyes, wanting to return, needing to return.

_All around, the ocean of stars beckons... ...but... ...for what...? All my enemies, from Ivo Robotnik, to the sith, all the way to the demons, that god-impersonator, even the time devourer… they're all dead. There's no one that I can fight to protect others..._

Suppressing a yawn, exhaustion starting to get to him, he shifted slightly. He needed to get this out of his mind, now.

_Even if it was a cruel destiny... I'd like to start again... No friends, no life... then those weird people... then my fledgling powers... how I became stronger with my new friends... how I HAD friends, real friends, for the first time... the thrill of defending the innocent across the stars... the energies of the universe welling up and wrapping themselves around my body, how it ran throughout my blood and my skin… the solid grip on the hilt of the Universal Sword... how that became the Ultimate Sword... how that became Crisis... and how it was replaced by the Sword of Hope, the most powerful of all blades... how I acquired stronger abilities which made my fighting far more versatile... how I destroyed each and every monster, demon, and any evil entity with such fervor.. even every hit and injury and the pain felt great…_

A big smile now stood ever shining upon his face. His eyes were sparkling against the brightness of the sea of stars above him. He stood up, never turning his gaze from the sky.

_...I want to go back in time again. I wish I could… _

That smile was replaced quickly with a frown. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to reminisce about the days of past.

_...wait a minute._

Anime-style, a big drop appears on his forehead. He brings his hand to his forehead in a slap. He started to groan loudly, as if he remembered something he shouldn't have forgotten.

_I'm such an idiot! Of course I can go back in time! I got time powers now! _

Once again, an even bigger smile replaces his frown, but was quickly replaced by an even bigger frown.

_...but I'll lose all my power in the process... I have to give it a lot of thought..._

Deep in thought, he picked up the laptop and he walked to the edge of the roof. It was at least 3 floors down to the floor. Where was the ladder? We see how Charles shrugs, then jumps off the edge.

…and _hovers_ in the air.

He flew to an open window to the side of the house, and entered it. It seemed as the master bedroom, since he entered into the bathroom, which could have fooled anyone that it was a full sized room with a bathtub, sink, toilet and a walk-in closet, having a black and white color. He landed and kept walking, opening the door to the real bedroom. It was as big as the bathroom, and had a king sized pillow top bed with a brown flowery comforter. There was a black and silver 44 inch wide screen plasma TV on the wall opposite of the bed. There were small speakers on each corner of the room. The hum of the central air conditioning cooling the entire house was almost inaudible. On the other side was an exit to a balcony, which had 2 seats. There was someone sitting on one of the chairs, a womanly figure, silhouetted in the moonlight.

"Charles, is that you?", the woman asked, a sweet voice that could instantly melt a heart in seconds.

Charles walks to the bed and lays on his back. "It's me, alright."

"I'll be back in, as soon as I finish hearing the news, ok?"

"Ok, sounds good."

_If I consult this with her, she'd want to come with me, and only one person can travel back through time and implant himself again in a precise point in the space-time continuum. And the only one who can accomplish that is me. I better clam up in front of her about this… In fact, no one must know…_

He walks to the other door, this one beside the bed. He exited into a long hallway with doors at the sides. Each led to similar rooms, but with smaller bathrooms. There were 4 doors on one side and 4 to the other, his door being the one at the end of the hallway. At the other end was a staircase. He walked it down to the second floor, which had 3 interconnecting hallways, having a total of 30 rooms throughout the place. If the room was physically too big for it to fit, there was a subspace area created for it. All rooms were as big as the ones on the third floor. He kept going down to the first floor, which housed the indoor swimming pool, accessed through the door on the side of the stairs, the living/family room, the dining room and the kitchen. Straight across from the stairs was the main door out of the house. To the left was the living/family room, which had 3 long sofas and another plasma wide screen TV on the opposite side. To the right was the dining room and a minibar. Behind the bar was the kitchen, big enough for 10 people to cook simultaneously without space complications. There was a stove, a kitchen sink, a big refrigerator and to its side a deep freezer. But beside THAT was a strange contraption. It resembled a stainless steel half-sized refrigerator, placed in a way so that the middle part of its height was leveled to the surface of the countertop. It had a strange helmet with wires sticking out of it and a keyboard on one side. On the other side was a slot with a conveyor belt, leveled to the marble surface of the countertop. In the middle was a label. It said "Comestible Replicator by". The rest of the label was scratched out.

He walked up to the fridge and opened it, taking out a bottle of soft drink. He unscrews the cap and takes a sip from it. Grimacing for a bit, he looked down to his belly.

_Wow… that sure hit an empty stomach. I better eat if I ever want to survive my thinking…_

He walked to the "comestible replicator", which of course, could be easily translated as "food maker". It works by copying the brain data for a certain food that the subject has eaten up to a maximum of 6 days ago. Then, it goes into its internal database, which updates itself constantly on food ingredient data. It the uses the food ingredient data to create the actual food, and the brain data to make the taste just right. It then scans it for possible poisonous configurations, fixes itself accordingly, until the food comes out on the conveyor belt, safely sliding into the marble top. This only has to be done once, since that stays in memory. So, Charles went up to the keyboard and pressed the "voice" button.

"…McDonalds Chicken Nuggets, 20 pieces, with 2 hot mustard packets, please. Thank you."

The machine beeped three quick ascending tones. If you know music notes, then it would be Fa- La- Do (or so I think). This acknowledged that the input was recognized, and in the LED display of the keyboard, it displayed exactly what Charles had said. The machine did nothing else in 5 seconds. Then, it made a soft hum. Almost instantly, a plate full of smoking hot chicken nuggets rolled out, with two packets of hot mustard. He grabbed the plate and sat down in the bar, and started to eat his food. Had it not been for the familiar presence suddenly close to him, he would have been startled by the ear-splitting sound which came from it, very, very close to his ear.

"HIYA BROO!"

"Tails."

**Author's comment: …When I was a kid, I saw AOSTH, the very funny one. It had Tails as a GIRL. …since the fan fiction I came up with needs her as a girl in order to… erm, balance out some details, please excuse me asfanfic Tails assumes female characteristics.**

A pair of arms covered in orange fur clamped around his neck in a neck lock, while it gave him a peck in the cheek. Stepping into the light, it smiled broadly at Charles. He turned his head and gazed at his "sister", a 16-year old anthromorph female fox covered with orange fur, sporting a ponytail which reached just below the shoulder. She was wearing a red blouse, which further accentuated her moderate sized chest. There was a hole in her blue jeans, which clung perfectly to her curves. Her light blue eyes sparkled as she admired her brother. 6 years and she still looked at him like one of those teen idols, except that this teen idol never lost his shine to her.

"How ya doin'? Sarah told me you were at the roof, but you weren't there."

"I'm fine… You just missed me, I was at the roof."

"…liar"

Charles's eyes went wide in surprise. "I swear to God that I was in the roof!"

Tails's happy demeanor changed into a worried expression. "I'm not talking about that… you look puzzled… worried. You don't look fine to me."

…_then again, I never could hide anything from her, as much as I could never hide anything from my beloved Sarah…_

"Sit down, I have something to tell you."

As Tails pulled a chair to the table and sat down next to Charles, he looked at her and made the best imitation of a very serious general. "But if you tell this to anyone, I won't answer for the consequences". Tails giggled and held up her index and middle finger in a V. "You know how I am! You can trust me with anything."

Charles leaned back and took a deep breath. "Alright… I'm planning to bring back my astral form to the day before the incident that started this all."

Tails's eyes grew wide. "You're leaving! But—" A cold, hard expression was all she needed to clam up.

"Tails, keep your voice down". Tails blushed with embarrassment.

"Sorry. But, why are you gonna leave? I mean… don't you like it the way it is?" Charles chuckled, and just glanced up at the ceiling. "…I love it the way it is. I just want… to live through all that again. You can't imagine the thrill of it all…" "I recall many died and you didn't like it one bit". Charles recoiled from this reminder, and then smiled a few seconds later. "…it was necessary. But still, I want to do this. …After I leave, I want you to tell Sarah that I'll be gone for a day. I'll be back by nightfall. Chances are, I will reappear in the polar opposite of this place, maybe in the negaverse, after I reach the precise point in time where I do this. So, it'll take me a while to come back here. Can you handle that?". Tails just shrugged. "If you're gonna be gone for hours, then that's fine by me." Charles just shook his head. "Hours for you… years for me."

- - - - - - - - - -

"…Charles."

The girl in the balcony in Charles's bedroom turned off her walkman, and stepped inside. She had a similar tan as Charles, only slightly lighter. It was a perfect contrast when you consider her beautiful, jet black hair. It was somewhat wavy, and reached to half of her back. A single, not so thick, not so thin strand of hair hung in front of her face, giving her a very neat anime look. Her eyes were exactly the same as Charles, a beautiful light hazel. She could be considered a baby face, which only made her even more delicate, all the more beautiful. She had a black blouse, with one of the straps hanging loosely at mid-upper arm's length, clinging to her mid-sized breasts, and blue, torn jeans, with a small silver chain dangling from the side.. She looked beautiful. She looked inoffensive. She looked hardcore. Anger her, and you'll find out what a "normal" 19-year old girl really is. She's the companion warrior to the Defender of Life. Her title's the Scion of Balance. She is just as powerful as Charles is, only her high-level abilities are different. Charles can manipulate time and space. She can restore it to its normal state.

Right now, she was thinking. She sensed her spouse's worry, and knew what had happened to him. She knew it… because she feels it as well. A longing for going back. But she knew full well that Charles could only do it himself.

The door's latch went off as it was opened from the outside. Charles entered his room, and found Sarah sitting on the bed's edge, staring at the floor. "Are you alright?"

"We're one… you're worried. I'm worried."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"You dumbass, I _know". _Sarah giggled at her own insult. Charles just stared at her for what it seemed forever.

"…you feel it too?"

"Yeah… I'm bored beyond human words. I wish to go back."

"I can only send one of us…"

"Then I'll wait for my turn. I want you to go first."

"Oh, using me as your personal guinea pig, eh?" He poked her navel playfully.

"Ah, come on, stop-eh? NO, STO-AAHAAHAHA NO STOPAHAHAHA!" Sarah couldn't fight her love as he started tickling her everywhere. They ended up facing each other on the bed when he stopped. Happily sighing, the couple started to kiss each other lightly. Charles broke the kiss that lasted a few minutes and just stared at Sarah. Sarah stared back and ran a hand through his hair. Charles caressed her cheek affectionately.

"…you know how to change a mood. Thanks."

"No. Thank you, for understanding."

"…before you leave…" Sarah's eyes started clouding with a familiar haze that Charles could only recognize. Lust.

Charles started to kiss her hungrily, and her kisses were just as powerful. Before the event could go any further, he glanced up at the light switch beside the door and twitched an eye. As if by magic, and you wouldn't be far from the truth if you thought it was, the switch came down, and the room became instantly dark.

- - - - - - - - - -

The next morning, Charles opened his eyes, and looked to his left. Sarah, still covered up in the sheets, was peacefully asleep, and looked so angelical like that. She still sported some red marks on her neck from the furious necking last night. He never knew why they also looked beautiful on her. Charles held back an urge to kiss her forehead, like he normally does, and teleported out of the bed, appearing a few feet from it. He floated to an upright position and landed softly on the floor. He entered the bathroom and went into the closet, and started getting dressed. After putting on some briefs and socks, he put on a white t-shirt and khaki jeans. He put on black slippers and softly started floating out of the bathroom, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He had red marks on his neck as well. "Boy… she meant business. The poor thing…"

He floated outside, blew a kiss at his wife, and softly closed the door behind him. Making sure that no one was still awake, he lifted his right hand, and drew an imaginary circle above him, and then, he thrust his hand upward into the "circle". Suddenly, a bright sparkle ensued, releasing small dots of light which floated upon him. Instantly, the nail marks on his back, and the red marks on his neck disappeared. He felt as if he just had breakfast, full strength. Chuckling softly, he walked to the end of the corridor and went down the stairs to the first floor. He headed to the kitchen and ordered up pancakes and bacon, with a half cup of syrup and one sausage. While the machine buzzed, he opened the fridge and found that the orange juice was gone. He peered into the dining room and saw the source of the disappearance.

"Good morning, Knuckles."

The red-skinned, dread-lock haired, 21 year-old muscular echidna anthromorph peered up. His violet eyes, which were always alert and jerking around, locked onto Charles . His hands had an abnormal size and sported two spikes at the tips of the knuckles, hence his name, 'Knuckles'. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a design of a dragon on it, and blue jeans.

"Oh, Sonic, I forgot to tell you, I drank the whole juice—oh." He stopped short when he saw Charles with an empty glass pitched held up. "And good morning to you too!"

Heading back into the kitchen, he pushed his breakfast place, already processed, to the side and put the glass pitcher inside the replicator. "Orange juice, please". The machine whirred again, and the pitcher came out, filled almost to the brim with pure orange juice. After pouring some in a plastic cup, he placed it back on the fridge, and took his breakfast to the dining room, sitting beside Knuckles.

"…Sonic." Knuckles started, but stopped short when Charles gave him the stop sign, a single finger brought up.

"Lemme eat first, I'm in a hurry."

"Alright."

After eating his meal rather quickly, he grabbed a napkin from the nearby bowl and wiped his mouth and hands.

"Ok, tell me".

A look of mock curiosity. "…what happened last night? Neither Tails nor I couldn't sleep. You should put soundproofing in the walls."

A look of mock hurt innocence. "I didn't do anything bad… I think. And about the soundproofing, I thought I already did…"

A look of mock disgust. "…that's not funny. That's disturbing."

Charles doubled over, laughing, and soon was joined by his friend, a welcome cackle in the morning. After regaining control, Charles got serious.

"Well, we had a bit of a catching up to do. …I'm gonna leave for a while."

"Oh, that was it. …man, did you really put soundproofing?"

"Yeah."

"…I can't imagine how it would be without it."

"You can't. You'd be deaf. I know I was."

"Then how come can you hear me well?"

"Used healing mist."

"Oh." Another round of laughs.

"I'm gonna go outside for a while. Take care!"

"You too, Sonic."

Both got up, slapped their hands together in a firm grip, and then hugged. Then, a high five, and he went outside through the double doors.

The valley was beautiful, still covered with morning mist, the lights dimming as the sun started to show in the mountain. The rays shone down on the valley, accentuating the mist, which was slowly dissipating under the warming day.

"God, you've really outdone yourself this time."

…_this is it_, Charles thought. …_I need to go back. I will. Right now._ He opened up a mental telepathic link to everyone in the house and said, just like when he used to go on a mission, _see ya guys, I'll be home soon._ He knew he'd get a reply, but he shut off the link_. I don't want a burden while I do this. Ok… here we go!_

First, he jumped into the air. A blinding flash ensued, and what landed into the floor was not even human. Standing up at about 5'6", with blue fur covering his entire not-so-muscular-as-Knuckles body, his clothing having been replaced by gray baggy pants of a strange textile that was the most lightest and most resistant textile in the Universe. His chest was bare, and had a circular patch of skin-colored fur, just like on his lower face area, tipped with a black nose. And he wore very light, very resistant red sneakers with a white band across each. His hair was not as long as Knuckles, a bit shorter, and standing on end, a few strands falling forward, just covering his forehead and a bit of his eyes. He opened them, showing the same hazel eyes he had just a while ago. Taking a deep breath, he readied himself for the delicate process of going back through time.

…_ok, I'm in my fighting body now. Now, I have to go up to full power…_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

Sarah woke up with a start. Eyes wide open, her forehead sweating, and the diamond emblem in her forehead glowing intensely.

…diamond emblem! Yes, you read correctly. A diamond emblem on her forehead. Remember this, this is VERY important.

She ran to the bathroom and confirmed it. The diamond emblem was glowing a pristine white.

_It's resonating,_ Sarah thought furiously as she sped her way through putting her clothes on. _Damnit, he's transforming! I have to tell him something before he leaves…!_ After putting on clean underwear, and finally putting on the very first thing she found, her discarded clothes from yesterday, she teleported outside, just in time as all the others did. Beside her was Tails, Knuckles, and many other anthropomorphs which were hard to see with the blinding light in front of them. Suddenly, she felt a very familiar energy wavelength. _The purest light…_ Sonic was indeed transforming to his final state. He was already past the fourth state, where his true energy wavelength came out. Then, she felt something strange. Only she could sense it. At least, her and another anthropomorph that was close that looked a lot like Sonic but was black…

"HE USED TIME FREEZE! THAT MUST MEAN—" All of them were cut off...

...and thrown back by the sudden, violent, intense shockwave generated by the powerful energy counterfold when someone normally finishes a transformation. Knuckles knew what he did to achieve that. _Haha… using time powers to speed up transformation. You never ceased to amaze me…_ Those were Knuckles's last thoughts for the day, before he fainted from too much stress.

The only one standing was Sarah. She was standing still, as if the shockwave never hit her. Being on par with Sonic has its upsides, she mused. She stared at the new creature in the center of the otherwise blinding light. She saw it well, and smiled. A strange warmth ran through her veins. A thrill, an urge to transform, a need to unleash her potential and stand beside Sonic, back to back, as she used to. She held it down for the time being.

"CHARLES! YOU GOTTA KNOW SOMETHING!"

"…time powers, engage… huh?" The creature looked up and stared at Sarah, just as a strange green light started to engulf him.

"HURRY UP, IT'S STARTING!" His voice was loud, yet sweet, reassuring, warm… Sarah fell silent, and just regarded her boyfriend in his radiance. …_oh, God… I have to tell him…_

"I LOVE YOU! WITH ALL MY HEART!"

_Me too, Sarah. You never had an idea of how much…_ The reply resonated in her mind.

_Neither do you about me, baby…! Charles, you gotta know something before you leave!_ Her mental cry was being distorted by the time wave.

_What? Hurry, it's about to take me!_

The green light had him almost blind, as he struggled to keep eye contact with his wife. He saw her try to reach out, and quickly responded.

_I'm pregna—_

The green light engulfed everything, and then vanished. Only darkness remained. He started tumbling down into what seemed to be an endless abyss. _Goodbye Sarah… I'm so happy… _Tears of joy ran through his cheeks, as he knew what she had said… and then, even those disappeared. Everything became nothing. Light became dark. Feelings were dissipated. His mind was being erased. Strobes of light danced in his eyes, as he couldn't even feel his own body anymore. He was alone, once more, and it scared him. And then, it also faded away. The only thing that never faded was the image of Sarah… and the love he felt for her… _I'll find my way to you again… I promise…_ Even his thoughts disappeared. Only Sarah, love remained. And then something else. He saw himself walking with a strange being, bathed in green jade light, sparklingly beautiful. This being had his hand around him, pacing with him slowly. He was talking, and the voice was so reassuring. The only thing he heard before the image vanished was… "…_your purpose… __**defender**__."_ Then, that vanished. He felt himself floating in liquid, unable to breathe, yet, surviving. Not a problem, his emeralds would keep him with air. But, they weren't even there. He was a soul, trapped inside a rapidly developing organism, waiting for release. He waited, and waited, and waited. Too much darkness, too much loneliness. Then he heard it… the sound of release. A sudden rapture, the liquid was gone, but still he couldn't breathe. The darkness around him had an eerie gray glow, and then, suddenly, everything started to twitch all around him. Then, something started to push at him. It felt like an elevator, going up… up.. up even further. Everything clenched at him, too much pressure… then a blinding light replaced everything. And the most intense feeling of cold showered him almost instantly, like if a thousand knives were being thrust into several parts of his body, over and over again. Painfully, he felt as some appendages clutched at him and started to hit him hard. He couldn't take the pain, he had to do something to retaliate. He opened his mouth to breathe the icy cold air, which bit into his now overly sensitive lungs. Having got enough wind, he screamed, to show his rage at whatever was harming him, and whatever it was took the hint. The pain subsided, but the cold remained. He kept screaming, hoping someone was out there who could come to his rescue. Suddenly, the cold was not so bad anymore. He felt as if he was enveloped in a warm embrace, soothing his initial pain. He felt so defenseless. He didn't know why. He even forgot if he could defend himself. His mind was tainted with pain and suffering, of the like which he never felt. The image of the entity that guided him was gone, but there was one image still lingering in his mind. _Sarah…_ was his still coherent though, before he attempted to open his eyes. The light was blinding, but after what seemed like ages, he got used to it, and looked at two giants. One giant had a grimace of disgust. The one that had its arms around him was looking at him with the same look Sarah looked at him. An expression full of love and care, a love that would never end, a love that would extend itself for all eternity. He started to regret it, as he started crying… he knew who those people were, before his very last memory was wiped out as a result of being tainted with new sin again.

_Mom… and… …and the devourer._

…and Sonic the Hedgehog faded away into the darkness.

- - - - - - - - - -

_**Paging Dr. Alberty. Paging Dr. Alberty. Please head to the maternity ward. Repeat…**_

A young Jacqueline stared at the ceiling, giving a silent thanks to God, and calmed the baby in her hands, which suddenly started crying. As soon as the baby started crying, he stopped. She could have sworn the baby had an expression of recognition as he cried, but then, it was the face of a normal, confused baby. The father, her husband Ivan, watched from behind the bed. His face wasn't happiness, but annoyance. He never knew what was love, and he never will. Yet, Jacqueline was so overjoyed that her baby boy was born. She knew full well what she was going to name him.

"I'm going to give him the name of a prince. …Charles. Prince Charles of England. His name is Charles."

On a cold morning, on an Ash Wednesday, the phoenix was reborn from said ashes. The champion of the universe was reborn.

And this… is where his story begins…

- - - - - - - - - -

**To be continued...**

**Author's comments: This is a rewrite. Hope you like it. Please comment.**


	2. The Boy And The Hog

**The Chronicles of Neo Sonic I: Pre-Defender Saga  
Chapter 2: The Boy and The Hog  
A Sonic The Hedgehog Fanfiction By "Neo Sonic"**

**"Sonic The Hedgehog" characters and related trademarks were created by Sonic Team, and are the property of SEGA. All other characters and trademarks, both appearing and mentioned, are the property of their respective creators. I do not own the characters, nor any of the series. This is just a fan made fiction story inspired by the series themselves.**

**Author's note: **My very first work. I will be mixing continuities from now on. Which ones? The Sega Genesis/CD/32X game continuities (most specifically, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Sonic CD, Sonic Triple Threat, Chaotix) for the story and characters, the Sonic Adventure game continuities (well, Sonic X, without the additions) for additional story and characters, the Adventures of STH (the goofy one, where Tails is a girl) for characters and the Knothole one (dunno specific name) for characters and bits of story. …some characters are made up as well. Yeah, it's a mega messy continuity cross-over. Please bear with me. Let 'er rip!

- - - - - - - - - -

_**14 years later...**_

It was nighttime, around 12 am. A 14 year old youth dressed in black came out of an old, seemingly unattended house in a quiet, dark suburb. It was almost pitch dark, were it not for the far off streetlights and the starry sky. It was the phase of the new moon, so there was no moon to be seen. Quietly, the boy picked up his bike and pedaled off.

The boy kept pedalling, passing the suburbs, reaching a coastal road. Running down a dust path covered by palm trees, he kept pedaling, thoughts of pain, anguish, and suicide creeping around his mind. These thoughts served as a catalyst for his pedaling action. He sped along the seemingly endless dust path, almost as if trying not to get somewhere, but away from something. He hated this world, loathed every single human being on the planet. Only one person had shown him concern, but now this person was getting ready for a one-way trip to another country, with no possibility of chasing after, seemingly provoked by his refusal to abandon this person like her parents had requested. Tears trickled down his cheeks, slightly illuminated by the stars, falling like pearls on the dusty ground as his bike angrily made its way forward with unnerving speed. _Hate… hate… hate… pain… death… death…_ was the only coherent thought on his mind, endlessly echoing in the distance. Those echoes resembled… waves. The echoes kept getting louder and more pronounced… Then something unexpected happened. Little did he know that that night, everything was going to change forever.

Suddenly, the front tire hit a small pit of sand and abruptly stopped, launching the boy forward, before falling head first into more sand. The bike almost fell on him, if he hadn't had that much hang time. Sobbing slightly, he got up. There was a stinging sensation on his lower jaw. There was a piece of glass stuck in his goatee area. Picking it off, he took out a napkin from his pocket to clean the blood, and held the paper there, applying pressure to stop the bleeding. A slight gasp escaped his lips, as a salty tear trickled down to the wound, stinging him. He walked forward, slightly bobbing to the sides, almost falling, still dazed from the fall.

…_damn you… Tatiana… …damn you… CSI… damn you… dad… damn you all… I wish everyone… I wish I… I wish everything went to hell and rotted there forever… …why did I have to fall in love…? …I gave up everything… and now, I've lost it… …why did I ever have to take that scholarship? I'd have never met her, I'd have never met all those motherfuckers… all those rich motherfucking snobs… to hell with them all... …why was I ever born…? …was my purpose to suffer? My own dad… hurts me… everyday… why did he even make me be born, if he hates me so much…? …I'll please him, I'll "honor __thy father", all right. I'll kill myself, and he'll be happy. …to think… that that stupid bible would actually inspire me…_

After a bit of a walk, he found himself staring at a sight the made him gasp, not out of pain, but out of awe. Even though there was no moon, the stars made up for it. The sea laid in front of him, the sky a pale dark blue. Slightly visible, the white tops of the waves rolled around, licking the sandy shore, leaving a haze, an evidence of its touching the sand. It was a beautiful sight, and that succeeded in removing his previous suicidal thoughts. As in a trance, he walked forward, a solemn expression on his face. His eyes were pale, not a single shine showed itself around its hazel pupils. Upon reaching the shore, but keeping himself a considerable distance away from the water's farthest reach, he sat down in the sand. A few seconds later, he laid on his back, to stare at the stars. His eyes wandered across every small white dot in the sky, retracing some kind of a long forgotten pattern. A weak smile made its way to his lips, his tensed body relaxing. _Somehow… _he thought, _I don't feel at all alone, even though I am… I just wish it weren't like this… I wish… I hope… I pray?_

That last thought pulled on something unknown, hidden away in his subconscious, risking itself to slightly escape his mind before running into obscurity again. Shrugging, he concentrated.

_..alright, God. There were a lot of people that say 'Jesus loves you'. Ok, fine, suppose you do, Then, why am I facing death all the time? Sure, I've never died, but it's a horrible agony every day. Is this what you truly want for me? …I… just want to be loved… I want it so badly… I'd sell my soul to the devil for it, just for a tiny taste of true love, but I think I'll wager on you… I'm selling myself to ya… …I just…. I just want to be loved… …I want to be someone important… I want to be great… but I just want one girl to truly love me… just one. …well… err… in Jesus's mighty name? Yeah, that… Amen?_

He stared intently at the sky, half expecting something, half expecting nothing. Just then, he saw a red star. It was slowly moving across the sky, ever so slowly. _Mars? I thought that wasn't due for another 4 years_, he thought. Surprised, he fixed his gaze at the star, which, seemingly, had a halo tail. _A shooting star… but… how come it's red? And it's moving so slow… Wait a minute, it's getting bigger?_ After closer inspection of the star, he figured something out. Ah_, must be a meteorite. I wonder where it will fall--_

"EH!", was his first cry since he got here. A feeling of dread befell him. The meteorite was headed straight…. for him. He could only stare as the ball of fire came closer and closer, close enough to hear the rumbling sound it did as it fell against the atmosphere at breakneck speed. He snapped out of the trance, and ran as far as he could along the shore. Taking a cue from another story he heard related to a pillar of salt, he ran and never looked back, hoping it would not hurt him that much, if it didn't kill him.

_**FA-BOOOOOOOOM!**_

The sound was too loud, and the sand beneath him shook, almost making him lose his footing. He kept running, but then, something pushed him hard. He fell down, and a layer of sand buried him. _The impact shockwave… damnit!_ He struggled to get up, and managed to do so. Not bothering to dust off the sand, he kept running, then he heard it. A soft sound, resembling that of sand falling softly to the floor. Then he looked back. And realized the error of doing so.

A tsunami wave made up entirely of sand had risen very high into the air, about 50 or 60 feet, and was thrown outward from where the meteorite impacted. That wall was falling towards him. He did the first thing that came up in his mind. He threw himself into the floor, face down. A few moments later, he felt a solid, heavy wall of sand hit him. For several microseconds, it kept getting heavier, threatening to crush him, then, it didn't get any heavier.

For several minutes, the boy stayed under the sand, trying to cope with what just happened. Then, slowly, he pushed against the bottom and wiggled his way up. The sand gave way after several seconds, so he kept pushing and worming his way out. Soon, it wasn't hard, then it was easy, then insanely easy, and then… The cold night air bit into his back, his black t-shirt shredded from the entire ordeal.

_It must have been the shockwave or something. That thing hurt…_

He looked around, the entire beach, palm trees, everything, all covered in sand. Even the water was no longer dark blue, but dark brown in the shore. He shook the sand from himself, and started to walk back to the smoldering crater. He ran, his fear replaced by sheer curiosity. When he got there, he looked at what made the hole. And screamed.

There was an odor of scorched fur and skin all over the place. At the bottom, there was a blackened hedgehog-like animal, twitching every now and then. But this creature had a human-like appearance. Hands… feet… everything. In one hand, he had a strange looking wristband with a flashing red light. On the other hand, it looked like a transmitter, and it was blinking green. He had sneakers of the rarest kind. They were red, with a white band running across the middle. They had a light thingy of the kind that lights up when you step with it, but it was flashing every 2 seconds. The right sneaker had a strange switch to its side covered in a transparent Velcro-like strip. It was a weird sight.

After the initial shock, he crept down the crater and neared the corpse. But as he got near, something happened. He couldn't move, he just stood there. _Oh, God, the thing paralyzed me!_ He couldn't even open his mouth to scream. The only thing he could do was blink, breathe, think, and panic. And he was even more panicked, when the corpse uncurled itself from its fetal position and opened his eyes. It had green eyes, but they were bloodshot. They were really big eyes. …_is he gonna kill me?_ Then, suddenly, the being spoke with a low, raspy voice.

"No… I'm not going to kill you…"

_Oh my God, it can read minds… …well, can you at least let my mouth move!_

Almost suddenly, he could open his mouth. After breathing air through his mouth, so as to not smell his rotting carcass, he spoke with the being.

"Umm… you're an alien… haha… it's the first time I meet one, so you can imagine the shock…"

"Trust me… It was… the same… for me…"

"You mean you didn't come here because you wanted to?"

"Damn Eggman… shot me down… I protected… the planet from being… blown up…"

"Oh my… you saved us from another alien? …wow, thanks…"

"Don't… thank me yet… I have… a request."

"Go ahead…"

The being released the mental hold on the boy, and he could move again. Slowly, the being walked out of the crater, seemingly weak. The boy trailed after him, not knowing what to expect.

"So, how do you know English? You know, language…"

"I don't. I have a small imprint in my mind that lets me talk to anyone from any place in the galaxy. To me, it sounds like my native language. To you, it sounds like yours." He kept getting better in his speech, but still, his body looked weak…

"Wow, that's pretty nifty… but that means there are other planets with people in them!"

"Yeah… I've been to several, actually…"

"Wow!" The boy was amazed. He finally knew the true answer to one of mankind's most asked questions.

"Yeah, my master did that."

"Your master?"

"Everyone's master, or king, or God, however you say it…"

The boy's eyes grew wide. _So… God does exist… that's two questions in a row…_

They arrived at the water's edge. The being sat down, still shaking from the effort. The boy sat down next to him. After breathing heavily for a minute, the being spoke again.

"What's your name, by the way?"

"Charles."

"Mine's Sonic. Sonic the hedgehog. Good to meet ya."

Charles turned to face him. The hedgehog knew he was expecting an answer.

"There's a very important item on this planet. It's very rare, and very valuable. There are many who have desired it, but couldn't find it. Only a few knew its location. Unfortunately, there was one person who shouldn't have known of its existence…"

"This Eggman character you spoke of earlier, right?"

"Yes. He came here to claim it, but before he could go any further, I came and stopped him. That item is very important, and can't fall into the wrong hands. If that happens, then it's all over. For the entire universe. …I need to find it, but… it's over for me. I ask you to please find it and secure it, and deliver it to its rightful owner."

"But… what item is this?" Charles was far more puzzled than ever.

"…the Universal Diamond… crafted by the most powerful entity in the Universe… it cannot fall into evil hands, for it was meant to be used by good to purge evil from the Universe… to be used by the one destined to be the Defender of the Universe… Charles… I ask you, as a last request, to find this diamond, and bring it to the Defender… only then, can my soul rest easy, if at all…"

"How can I find it? I don't have powers or anything… unless you know exactly where it is…"

"…no, I don't know. But… …yes… …give me your hand. I'll give you my powers and memory."

_Uh oh… I hope I didn't slip on that one,_ Charles thought. Then he realized he was still close to Sonic, who could read minds.

"Haha… don't worry, this will only sting for a few seconds. You'll thank me later…"

_That wasn't reassuring... _

Nervously, Charles took the burnt hand in his. Then, he noticed that Sonic closed his eyes. Charles did the same, just in case. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then… something started to creep into his mind… memories that were not his started to fill up his head. Other thoughts, other emotions, other desires, other tastes, other worries, other cares… slowly, he felt as thought he was becoming another person. For a second, he felt fear for his soul. But one of the memories reassured him. He would not be taken over, rather, he was assimilating Sonic's memories into his… Then, a newly acquired memory entered his mind. He now understood why he had crash-landed on Earth. He was right, he had been fending off an attempt to destroy the planet by that…"_rotten egg"?_ Indeed, Sonic's memories were now his, and his alone. But then, he felt something else, a rather peculiar sensation of warmth running down the length of his arm, seeping into his body and spreading out. It did sting when the warmth reached some locations on his body. It stung his chest, his neck, the back of his hands and his feet. He knew what represented each part. He knew from his new memories.

"…it's done, you now have my powers and thoughts, and something else.", Sonic explained. Charles just let go and just kept staring at his hand, where everything flowed from, shining brightly on the back of his hand was the shimmering symbol of a majestically ornamented green emerald, more specifically, the Master Emerald. It had seven differently colored dots forming a circle around the emblem, representing the seven Super Emeralds supporting the Master. The same symbol was now on the back of his other hand too. His chest was shimmering with a light blue against the black fabric of his shirt. He pulled his shirt up to reveal an emblem of what he recognized as a Chaos Emerald. He took off his shoes and beheld his feet. Sure enough, there were emblems on both of them, representing the Time Stone. He looked up just in time to see Sonic land flat on his back, clearly exhausted from the effort.

"Sonic!" Charles scampered over to him and looked at his face. A bit of his newly acquired memory came to life, relaying him with horrible information. This energy transfer could only be done once, and it _**will**_ kill the drained character in a matter of minutes. Tears welled up in his eyes as Sonic's own eyes fluttered open. A weak smirk paled in his face.

"Did… you really think… I was gonna tell… ya? I'm done for… please… do it… for me…"

"…why…?" _Damn you, why didn't you tell me!_

"Your heart… is weak… and compassionate… you wouldn't… have allowed… for it…"

"…I…" _Is there nothing I can do! What do I do! He's gonna die! Damnit!_

"Your mind's faster than me… heh… your memory… will tell you… the rest…"

A deep sigh escaped the hedgehog's lips as his body went limp.

"Sonic…" Silence.

"…Sonic…?" Silence.

Charles wiped the blur his tears made in his eyes to stare at Sonic's lifeless body. Immortalized in his face was the smirk of a hero who feared nothing, not even death.

- - - - - - - - - -

Several hours later, Charles stood back and beheld the makeshift grave he had to make right there on the beach. Bordered with stones he found at the shallow water, a palm leaf stood in the center, with a bigger stone on top. Written in the stone in white letters was "R.I.P. Sonic the Hedgehog". The sun started to show its first rays from the east. Charles squinted, turned his back on the sun, and adjusted the transmitter on his left wrist and wiggled the bracelet on his right until it felt comfortable. The sneakers fit him perfectly as well. They felt very comfortable. ..._extremely comfortable. It's like if I was walking on air…_

He walked to where he had dropped his bike, partially buried in the sand from the explosion earlier that night, unburied it from the sand, and pedaled off home, as if nothing had happened. As if tears hadn't been shed, as if no death took place. But, apart from the fact that Sonic now was a part of him… nay, he _**is**_ Sonic, Something crept around in his mind. Something bothered him, or rather, bothering his new-found personality.

"…weak heart?! I'll show him!" The same smirk that ran through Sonic's face, now was in his.

Attitude runs in the blood.

- - - - - - - - - -

**To be continued...**


	3. The Trainer

**Chronicles of Neo Sonic I: Pre-Defender Saga  
Chapter 3: The Trainer  
A Sonic The Hedgehog Fanfiction by "Neo Sonic"**

"Sonic The Hedgehog" characters and related trademarks were created by Sonic Team, and are the property of SEGA. All other characters and trademarks, both appearing and mentioned, are the property of their respective creators. I do not own the characters, nor any of the series. This is just a fan made fiction story inspired by the series themselves.

- - - - - - - - - -

_Is it me, or am I pedaling faster?_

It was a great Sunday morning. Charles kept pedaling on his bike as the sun kept rising into the sky. He had 10 minutes to get home without his mom… or dad… noticing he was gone the whole night. _Assuming they were still sleeping and the alarm clock was set at the usual time, 7 am._ The gravel road was still bumpy, he was still aching from the bumps, but something was amiss. His feet were effortlessly moving around. His hands felt lightweight. Scratch that, his entire body felt lightweight. Almost as if there wasn't gravity pulling him down. _And it's still my body…_

Using his new-found endurance and strength, he started to pedal faster. The small speedometer in his bike, which could only register up to 40 miles per hour, was already straining against the pin at the end, making small snapping noises as it couldn't go any higher. His feet were a blur, and he hadn't even started to break a sweat yet. Amazed by this new-found strength, he could only pedal faster and faster…

…until the smell of burning rubber managed to catch up to his nose.

Visibly frightened, he stopped all pedaling motion and just let the bike brake on its own_. If I apply the brakes now, I'm gonna lose them way before I brake…_ Looking down, he saw the wheels smoking from the speed, but eventually died down. Once that was over, he resumed pedaling at that speed, well over 50 miles an hour. The scenery just went by in a blur, and the morning sea wind was blowing on his face. It was an incredible sensation. However, it didn't last. He had come out of the coastal road and was now back at the suburbs. In a few moments, he was back at his house.

_Here we are… SHIT!_

Screeching to a halt in front of his house, his fears had been materialized. His father, a big, tall man with a mean look in his face and a sledgehammer on his arms, was leaning against the front gate. He smiled when he saw Charles pull over, and it wasn't a good smile. It was more of the "I am finally going to get rid of this scourge" kind of smile. He ran towards Charles, the hammer in a ready stance. As he got near him, he got ready to swing. Charles watched in horror as the metal of the hammer went straight for his side. His mother's scream, who was witnessing all this, made him react on pure instinct, and he threw himself backwards off the bike, the hammer nearly missing him. He landed on his hands, and he pushed on them, making a perfect backflip and landing on his feet. _How in the world…!?_

His father blinked. _How the hell…?!_ He ran towards Charles again, hammer ready for another swing. He didn't care where did he learn that trick, he was going to kill him for what he did. No one damages his delicate equipment and gets away with it alive. He starts to swing, aiming for his head now.

"You think you were gonna get away from me? You broke my keyboard, you son of a bitc—"

The metal made a solid, hollow, sickening sound as it struck flesh. But it missed its intended target. Charles now gripped the hammer with rage, having stopped it with his hand.

"Leave… me… _ALONE_!", Charles screamed as he pushed on the hammer… hard. The handle's end slammed into his father's jaw, sending him flying. He landed on top of the bike, bruising his back as the pedals dug into him. He screamed loudly, and he rolled off the bike, writhing in agony, as the hammer's metal flew with him, but at a slightly lower speed, and landed hard in his groin.

"What's wrong? First time you get a taste of your own medicine, daddy dearest!? I'm not going to allow you to hurt us anymore. And now, I can stop you! You better not try anything funny, or you will pay!"

_So much for the fifth commandment…_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

"Your son is very brave and strong. I swore that guy could have killed me with that sledge. Although, he's gonna last a few days in the hospital before we can take him in."

A squad car and an ambulance were now parked in front of Charles's house. His father, cuffed and strapped to a gurney, was being placed in the ambulance. He was visibly pissed, cursing and ranting.

"Boy, that blow in the head sure got him. I guess he didn't understand the part of 'anything you say will be used against you in a court of law', eh?", the policeman said. Charles was sitting down, panting because of the scare and the adrenaline. He hadn't even broken a sweat, but still, the impression of it all, the speed at which it started and ended, had scared him in a way that he couldn't even breathe right. His mother was behind him, patting his back in reassurance.

"I didn't mean to hurt him. He was gonna kill me, and I acted on self defense. I just pushed him away."

"We know. We got witnesses. Your mother's scream woke them up. They saw everything, so you have nothing to worry about, kid. I just need you to come with me and fill some papers. Paperwork, ya know."

"Will you bring him back?", Charles's mom asked. The policeman nodded. "This will only take 2 to 3 hours, ma'am. We'll stay in touch. We need to file the restraining order and take his statement."

- - - - - - - - - -

About 4 hours later, Charles was back in his room, looking up at the ceiling. He was meditating on what had happened. _Man, too much strength… I overdid it. This must be Sonic's power… it gave me endurance, strength, dexterity, agility, speed… …and… I feel weird…_ Charles stood up. But his feet didn't touch the floor. Slightly alarmed, he saw why.

He was hovering just a few feet into the air.

_**Hovering.**_

He just stared at his feet and at the floor. For 15 whole minutes, he got familiar with the sensation of not having contact with the floor. Initially, his feet hurt, and then suddenly, the pain ebbed away. The weird sensation felt… controllable. It felt like the control of the hover. With a bit of trepidation, he willed himself to hover forward. Initially, it didn't work. He tried using different ways of forcing his way forward. Then, he used his imagination. He imagined himself hovering forward. Instantly, he moved, perfectly synchronized with what he was imagining. _For all I know, this could be a dream. This is how I can fly in certain dreams… _He imagined that he hovered to the floor and stopped flying. At the same time, he touched the floor, and he felt his full weight on his feet again. He saw himself hovering again, and yet again, he hovered. _Wow, I'm getting the hang of this! _Satisfied, he landed again, and sat down on his bed.

_Wow… Let me try the beach._

He reached into his closet and got out a pair of black shorts and a white t-shirt. Having changed clothes, he put on the most rugged sneakers he could find, and got out of the bedroom. His mom was there, sitting in the living room couch, his 4 year old brother playing with some toys.

"Charles, where are you going?", his mom asked. Charles just opened the old fridge, getting zapped a bit by the electricity running through the handles, which right now just felt like a tickle instead of the usual painful jolt, and managed to grab a bottle of water. "I'm going to the beach. I left something there… it shouldn't take me more than 2 hours", he said, as he grabbed his backpack and shoved the water bottle in there. His mother just nods, and he walks out the door, closing it behind him. He walked over to the bike, its wheels bent from the impact it received a few hours ago. Sighing, he started to walk towards the dirt path that leads to the beach. He kept walking for what seemed like forever, until he saw that no one was able to see him anymore.

Satisfied, he started to jog. As he felt that he was getting into the pace, he quickened it up a bit, then another bit, then another. His feet were not even straining, and in a few moments, his feet had become a blur. The same spectacle he beheld while in the bike, was intensified by the thrill of the knowledge that his own feet were actually doing this. The wind on his face, he looked forward, and confidently, leaned as he ran, gathering even more speed. His legs were barely visible now. He was enjoying the feel of it all, the weightlessness of his body, the new-found strength, his new powers…

He kicked off the floor and lunged forward, arms outstretched. Instantly, he started to hover, flying straight forward, following the dirt path. He started to gather even more speed, and he could feel the hot air rub against his cheeks. Just then, the beach came into view. Just when he got to the sandy part, he came to a sudden, abrupt, and complete stop, right there in midair. The sudden shockwave sent sand flying straight ahead of him. He blinked a few times, actually expecting his body to feel some kind of pain from the lurch. However, it didn't happen, and he landed on the sand, smiling about his new abilities, and how his body could hold the stress.

_Yeah, who could be stupid enough to have powers that can strain you-- EH!?_

Right above where Sonic's grave is, someone was floating. It looked like…

…_a girl?_

Charles hid behind a few thick palm trees clustered around the end of the path and peeked to assess the situation. Hovering on top of the grave was indeed a girl. She was dressed in a light blue tunic that reached halfway past her knees, which almost could show the most fullest breasts he had ever seen. It had a dark blue string that was wrapped around her waist, holding the tunic. She had semi-spiked white hair which hung down just above her waistline and an almost perfect milky white skin. To top it all off, she had a strange shimmering green hue around her, which matched perfectly with the two emerald symbols on both the backs of her hands. Charles felt a strange warmth on his hands as well, and he looked down at them. Those same symbols were flashing on the back of his hands.

…_resonating…?_

Indeed, he felt a strange pull toward this girl. This was being made by some of the powers he had now. Before he realized it, his own feet made him walk out of hiding and into full view of the girl.

Startled, she got into a defensive position when she turned and saw the boy. Then, a glimmer of green caught her yellow, cat like eyes, as she locked hers onto the emerald symbols on his hands. After this, she hovered to the ground and just stood there. She motioned for him to come to her. Reluctantly, Charles kept walking towards her, already uneasy about all of the silence. As he got close, he asked while he stopped a few feet from her, watching her solemn expression.

"Who are you?"

The girl opened her eyes to speak, and her voice was even more pure than her skin.

"My name is Emeralia Zin Romuline, guardian spirit of the Master Emerald and its siblings, the Super Emeralds. I am the fusion between the guardian spirit Tikal and the warrior spirit Chaos, as a result of the shattering of the Master Emerald after the guardian spirits took residence in it once again after Chaos was soothed. I chose this permanent human form to be able to interact with you."

…_Master Emerald… the gigantic gem that enables me to reach… Hyper form…? …Tikal…? …Chaos…? …I… …know this! I… fought Chaos… …used Super Form and nearly got clobbered… but I managed to drain that… that big blob of water…_

Flashbacks fueled by Sonic's memory imprint came rushing down on his mind. He was holding 7 colorless gems, as everybody was cheering him on to get rid of Chaos, having recently achieved Perfect state, thanks to a certain dead mad scientist. Chaos had drained the Chaos Emeralds of their negative power to achieve that state, and everyone was giving Sonic all their positive power to compensate. Standing before him was a red echidna… …_Knuckles…_ …a hazy pink echidna… …_Tikal…!_ …a two tailed fox… …_Tails!_ …and a pink hedgehog with three birds following close by… …_ugh… Amy…_ Eventually, the gems in his hands came to life, filled him with a wondrous energy. Floating a few feet into the air, he reared back, extending his arms to his sides, as his body color changed from blue to golden, his hair stood on end and his entire body was engulfed with a flaming yellow aura, pushing those near him backwards by the energy counterfold. He opened his eyes, and instead of the normal green, they were now a fiery red. Turning around, he flew towards Chaos. Unfortunately, the power boost from the people's abundant positive vibes just wasn't enough, as he couldn't stay in the air for long. He managed to skim the flooded city's water surface to get to Chaos and disrupt him several times. Chaos kept shooting at him many times, slowing him down and effectively thwarting his attempt to speed up and crash onto him, for several times, until he managed to score several hits. After the sixth successful hit, Chaos could no longer maintain his perfect form, and shriveled down to his Zero form, where Tikal reasoned with him and soothed his anger.

All these events came to him in fragments of a second, as the girl stepped closer to him.

"You hold the essence of the Master Emerald and the Super Emeralds… How is this possible, if the one who unlocked my power for the first time was the blue hedgehog? Unless…"

She walked close and placed her hand against Charles's forehead. He felt nothing, just the sheer cool of her hands. After 10 seconds or so, she pulled back, nodding in understanding. Then, suddenly, she changed. Her solemn expression turned into…

…_**a kawaii, kittenish grin.**_

"EH?!" Charles jumped back, startled by this.

"Great! That means I get to train you!", shrieked Emeralie, which made him cringe. She then started to jump happily around the beach, laughing and whooping.

"Err, excuse me miss…?" _Talk about a split personality…_

"I'm gonna be alone with a man! Yaaaaaayyyyyyyyy!!!"

"Miss…"

"I'll have to practice those moves my sister taught me. Oh man, oh man, this is gonna be insanely great!"

At this point, Charles had it. "EXCUSE ME, DAMNIT!', he screamed, accidentally slipping a bit of power into his voice. He result was that the entire beach shook, coconuts fell out of palm trees, seagulls flew away in an erratic flight pattern, due to the sound assault, and Emeralie lost her balance and fell flat on her face on the sand.

"PFFH! PHWYY!"

Charles kneeled over and helped her up. "I'm so sorry, miss! I didn't mea—"

She got up, lifting herself on her two hands, bringing her face a few centimeters higher than Charles, giving him quite a top view of a pair of milky white greatness. She closes her eyes, sure of herself. "Well, if you didn't mean it, then why don't you rub my boo-boo? It hurts, and with lots of kisses and lots of… stimulation, it might get better in a while.... a loooong while… In fact, my entire body hurts, oh yes. How about that?", she said as she opened her eyes. No one was there. A big drop appeared on her forehead as a raven flew by, cowing loudly.

**Author's comment: Haha, I did a funny.**

Charles had walked to the dirt road and started to walk back home. Blushing, he walked a quick, steady pace, trying to erase the sight from his mind. _Unfortunately, that's easier said than done._ Then, he felt it. A weird sensation, steadily growing. Behind him. He turned around, and saw Emeralie flying towards him. "WAIT! I'm sorry!", she said, as she landed in front of him. She bowed her head and spoke. "I'm sorry for being so… eager. It's that I was locked inside that emerald. I could only come out within 6 months of constant use by the current user of the emerald. Even if you are different, Sonic is within you, and thus, the final few hours that I needed to be summoned were completed thanks to you. I am forever in your debt, I'm so sorry about that, and I have to train you. It is my duty as the guardian spirit… of…"

Charles wasn't staring at her face. She then noticed that her robe, from the sudden bow, had exposed a breast. Snickering softly, she covered it again. Clearing her throat, she straightened herself. Having his full attention to her face again, she spoke again.

"…the Master Emerald to train the one who is destined to be its carrier. So, I train you on how to use its energy properly."

"Ok, can I ask two questions?", Charles asked. Emeralie nodded.

"I felt something, as you got closer. Almost as if that sensation was telling me that you were there."

Emeralie took a few steps forward, noticing that Charles tensed up, but simply put her index finger to his forehead. "That's your new sixth sense ability! The Master Emerald infuses that ability, along with some more useful ones. It should increase your range of awareness and your tolerance to energy spikes as you get stronger!", she exclaimed. Charles, even more confused, just blinked.

"Energy Spikes?"

"In a simple way, sensing something way too powerful for you to stand it. Basically, you may get a splitting headache as your mind forcefully adjusts to that new energy level. Or worse…"

"Don't tell me. My head would blow up", Charles muttered. Emeralie nodded. "Oh, great. What a great ability. Now I'm prone to be killed just for someone strong showing up!", he screamed, walking a few feet away from her. Emeralie kept up with him and sighed. "You know, if you could let me explain, then maybe we could understand each other, and you could understand what to do in such cases—"

"Just tell me another thing. Why am I supposed to train and whatnot? What is it that I have to do?"

Emeralie took a deep breath. "Well, straight to the point, I see. …well…"

She walked to a nearby palm tree and sat down with her back against it. Charles did the same. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke.

"…a phenomenom that occurred several millions of years ago prompted the Creator to take some steps. You see, this phenomenom spanned the creation of a terrible evil. An evil that transcended time. Today, that evil is still rampant throughout the universe. Throughout the 4 main galaxies of the universe, the north, the south, the east and the west galaxy."

"Hmm, I've heard or read about that, the four galaxies. The northern one is the Milky Way, this galaxy, right?"

"Correct! So, this evil, if it isn't controlled soon, may cause a balance shift that could destroy all good and replace it with evil. We wouldn't like that, right?" Charles just shook his head. "Good. So, these stones, the Chaos Emeralds, the Super Emeralds, the Master Emerald and the Ultra Emerald, plus many others that I know not, were made to empower good people with enough strength to protect the galaxies from potential balance shifters. Unfortunately, these stones were scattered throughout many worlds. Fortunately, you have a complete set of Chaos, Super, Master, and Ultra Emeralds. This is enough power for you to have a title. Usually, Chaos Emeralds gave one the ability to protect a land, and pretty much, a planet. Uniting it with the Super and Master Emeralds, it gave you power to protect the entire system, as space travel was possible, but to just an extent. The Ultra Emerald modified that power, to an effective rate where, your ability to remain without breathing, and your flight speed, increased, enabling you to effectively claim jurisdiction over the protection of an entire galaxy cluster. But that alone wouldn't work. You would need to fuse your powers with a member of the blessed race, in order for them to be 100 stable. Sonic…", paused Emeralie as she nodded her head towards the beach, "…did that part for you already. Sonic is a member of a race in the category of 'warrior race'. Emperor Hedgehogs in Mobius, his home planet, fall on that category. You simply need to fuse with a member of the blessed races. And the blessed races are the ones made in identical appearance to the Creator! In other words, humans!"

"I see… and what do you mean by my powers being now 100 stable?", Charles asked, a hint of caution in his voice. Emeralie quickly picked up his train of thought.

"No, don't worry. Your powers can't destroy you, unless you actually mean it. But now, even if you do, they would never destroy you, as they are now harmoniously living in sync with your body, allowing it to resist its full bandwidth", Emeralie replied. "But now is not the time for small talk, we have to initiate your training!"

Emeralie rushed to him and grabbed his hand, but he stood there. "I can't leave, I have to tell mom!", Charles exclaimed. Emeralie just pouted and, with a deep mock tone, spoke, "'Mommy, I have to go train so I can fight aliens and save the universe!' HAH! Charles, we have to go. Your mom is no longer your concern, your concern is the Northern Galaxy, your home!"

Charles thought about this.

_Of course, even I find this hard to believe. Mom would just call the looney farm on me… But she'll get worried sick… Oh, God, what do I do… _

Emeralie looked at Charles with deep interest. _This boy… I sense… a great potential in him… He could be, for all I know, the chosen one…_

"Follow me", Charles finally spoke.

Both of them got up, and, with Charles in the lead, flew through the path, back into the suburb where his house is. He walked up to the front porch of his house. "Wait here", he told Emeralie. He went in, and he found out that the house was empty. He found a note taped to the wall. Charles took it and read it,

_**Dear Charles,**_

_**I went out with Chris for a bit.**_

_**Will be back before supper.**_

_**Will bring you food.**_

_**Love,**_

_**Your mom.**_

_Heh, this makes it even easier._

On the back of the note, he wrote a new letter.

_**Dear mom, **_

_**I have to go away for a while. I promise that when I'm done,**_

_**I'll come back ASAP. I can't tell you why now, but you'll**_

_**understand in due time. Don't call the cops… just trust me.**_

_**Love,**_

_**Charles**_

Having finished, he took the letter and taped it again to the wall. Taking some of his stuff, he locked up the house and came outside. Emeralie was leaning against the gate, waiting for him.

"Ok, let's go."

Emeralie motioned him to come closer. As he did, she caught hold of him, and embraced him, rather close to him. "As much as I enjoy this, this is but to ensure that you are transported with me. In the meantime, enjoy.", she said with a wink. Charles groaned, but it was cut short as in a split second, he faded into nothingness, then just popped back into reality. In his eyes, it was a mixture of colors, as his surrounding suddenly reshaped themselves. A hot wind replaced the cool breeze in front of his house. When he blinked, he saw that he was not in his house anymore.

"Here we are!", said Emeralie happily.

"…you can let go of me now."

"OOPS, Sorry!" Emeralie released her death grip on Charles, and he looked around to his surroundings. They were in a desert bordering a jungle. He was looking as far as he could see, and all he saw was sand, sand, and more sand. To his back, a jungle, seemingly endless. And at his face, a dangerous girl who seemed to take advantage of any situation. And right now, she had a wicked grin in her face, her cat eyes narrowed on him.

_Gulp. It's not that I don't like girls, but this girl in particular is a bit too overdriven!_

Emeralie started to walk towards him. "Look, we came here to train, right?" Emeralie nodded. "But… I never actually specified… how."

With this, she jumped and tackled him. She used her power to fly with him into the jungle, landing on top of some grass in a cool shade. She quickly pressed her lips against his, while he tried to push her away in vain. She kept kissing him, while she started to let her big, milky white breasts peek out of her robe. Quickly, she let go of him, opened her robe a bit to let them out. He stopped struggling and just stared blankly at them. She was happy that he was staring at them, and she took his hands and planted then firmly on her breasts, covering her nipples. Sighing heavily, she looked into his eyes, a fire of lust in hers. This made Charles snap out of the trance.

And into his new strength.

"NO!", he screamed as he pushed her away.

…and sent her flying up, crashing into tree branches as she went.

_She had it coming. …I am NOT going to do that… at least until I know her better._

_- - - - - - - - - -_

"Next time, warn me that you don't want to have fun with me."

Later, at night, Emeralie was sitting close to a campfire in a small recess in a rocky hill deep inside the jungle. She had scratch and cut marks on her previously perfect face, arms and legs, and obviously, on her breasts, and her hair was a total mess. Even her robe suffered its own share of damage. Charles was leaning against the wall, arms folded and eyes closed, but awake.

"I thought my previous actions were evident.", Charles replied.

"But…!", Emeralie pleaded. Charles shook his head. "…why! I mean, don't you want to have sex! It feels so good! I've never had it, but my sister says it's the greatest! I…"

Charles opened his eyes and looked at Emeralie with a bit of frustration. "Just why are you so crazed about it anyways? You sound even more desperate than anyone."

"Well, because I want to feel what's it like to be loved and cared for, that's why!"

Charles heard this, and understood everything. _She doesn't know… about that. Whatever her… sister told her, since she hasn't had contact with anyone else, is what's driving her into being so crazed about sex. It's sad, really…_

His gaze changed into one of pity and understanding. "…you've never even had a friend, haven't you?"

Emeralie's expression changed into a confused look. "Friend? What's that?"

Charles's jaw dropped. "You don't know!?" Quickly, he regained composure and sat down beside her.

"Look, Emeralie. Forget about what your sister told you. She has the wrong idea about things. You see, you do not need to have sex with anyone you just want to love. I mean, that is a part of love, but it's not the predominant part. For me, love is the way you treat someone. If you treat them with care and sweetness, that's love. If you always worry about them and their needs, that's love. If you stand up for them, that's love. Plus…", Charles put his arm around Emeralie, who was shivering a bit, despite the campfire. Puzzled, she looked up at him, and met his caring gaze. "…there are other ways to express love. Like a hug with no second intentions." Having said this, he pulled her closer, so she could feel his warmth. A few seconds later, her shivering started to decrease. "Or an act of charity, like what I'm doing now, keeping you warm, because I care about you. The thing is, love isn't sex. Love is what you feel for a person, what you want to do to make that person happy, which in turn also makes you happy. At least, that's what I think. But, seeing as we just met, I can only be your friend. Though, since you've never had one, I'm your first, and I'll do my best to be a great friend to you."

"But… what is a friend?', Emeralie whispered. Charles noticed sadness in her voice.

"Someone who can show you love, without the sex part. Someone who can share with you many things, someone who trusts you. Someone you can rely on."

"…and… you're willing… to be that… for me?"

"Yes, if you stop being so pushy about that other stuff."

"…"

Emeralie started to weep. Confused, Charles just held her, as she just kept weeping. He turned so he could be facing her. Many tears trickled down her face, as she tried to hold them back. Charles just hugged her and let her cry on his shoulder. "A friend also offers his shoulder for when you need to cry on. And of course, you can cry", he told her. She started to sob uncontrollably, shuddering with each breath she took between sobs, Charles just kept patting her back with one hand and stroking her hair with the other. He felt his shoulder very moist, and it seemed like forever that she would keep crying, but eventually, her sobs died down to small weeps and hiccups. Puzzled, Charles asked her, "So… why were you crying like that?"

"Because… no one… not even my sister… would be like that with me…", Emeralie managed to say between weeps. She pushed a bit and Charles let go. She just looked into his eyes. "So sweet… can you possibly be a warrior… and be sweet at the same time?", Emeralie asked. Charles shrugged. "Well, if it means protecting my friends, yes, I can. And you are my friend. I'll fight for you anytime that is needed."

Later that night, Emeralie was on the floor, leaning on Charles's shoulder, lost in her own dreams. Charles was looking at her, and draped a comforter he had brought with him on top of them both to help hem keep warm. He gave her one final look before falling asleep. _She's smiling…_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

"Wake up, my friend!"

Charles opened his eyes, still feeling groggy from his sleep. He was still leaning against the wall, but Emeralie was no longer beside him. He looked to the source of the sound and saw Emeralie in the opening of the cave, holding two apples. She tossed them to him, and by reflex, he caught them both. _Whu--? I just woke up…!_ He took a bite out of one apple, savoring it's rich and flavory texture. He quickly devoured one apple, happy that even though he wasn't home, he was having an even better breakfast than what he usually had. After going through the second apple, he got up, walked towards Emeralie, and gave her a nice warm hug. "Good morning", he said.

"Good morning! Hope you slept well. Today we start your training. Lesson One! Basic Human Endurance Training.", she chimed happily. Charles followed Emeralie as she walked through the foliage, stopping momentarily to snap a branch in her way. After for what it seemed like an hour of walking, she asked, "Hey Charles, you tired yet?". Charles quickly replied, "Nope, just got started!". Satisfied with the reply, she turned around to see him. Apparently, he seemed like he just had breakfast, and hasn't even walked an inch. Not even the moist heat of the jungle has made him sweat. "Seems that Sonic's assimilation made a good impact on your endurance! Good! Now, try to keep up with me. Don't fly!', she said as she hovered a few feet from the floor, and just started to float away. Charles broke into a slight jog, keeping up easy. She quickened her speed, and Charles did the same, breaking into a run. She kept increasing her speed even more, but the more she sped up, the more he kept up with her. She was actually flying at her best speed, a rough 120MPH, and still, Charles was there, running unbelievably fast. But soon, something happened. Charles suddenly stopped. Emeralie's first concern was a sprained ankle, but when she got to him, she couldn't help but snicker. With the friction, Charles's shorts were instantly worn out, and there was a big hole, making the shorts seem like a skirt. The sneakers were smoking, and half of their soles had melted away.

"I'm actually surprised I didn't get a rash or a burn or something."

"Well", Emeralie said, "that means your skin can resist it. Eh, wait here. I'll be right back."

She vanished. _I want to learn that as well…_

Charles sat down, his back against a thick trunk of a tree. Only 15 minutes passed and Emeralie reappeared, slightly startling Charles. She was holding an identical pair of black shorts, and some plain looking black sneakers. Charles put them on and sighed. "You can't just teleport every time I break them", he said. Emeralie shook her head and replied, "These are special. It's a different fabric and polymer. I had to teleport to another planet to get them. It's your size, right?". Charles nodded.

After another speed test, he saw that both his new shorts and sneakers held up as if he wasn't even using them. He was chasing Emeralie throughout the entire jungle, whooping happily at his newfound freedom of movement. Emeralie chuckled and she gave him the stop sign with her hand. Both of them slowed down to a complete stop. Charles still hasn't broken a sweat.

"Okay!", Emeralie said, "you've been doing well! I see this is like a game to you and you are enjoying yourself, but here's the next test!". She hovered yet again, and moved around, staying always just a few feet from the floor. "Now, hover", she commanded. Charles did so, and both were hovering just a few feet from the ground. Satisfied that he was having no problems in staying afloat, she gave a simple command.

"Catch me if you can!", and with that, she sped off.

Charles sped up, flying parallel to the ground, keeping her in sight. She suddenly veered to the right, and Charles followed suit flawlessly. She zigzagged through some trees, and Charles did the same. Emeralie was having fun at this. _Time to see if he can stand altitude. _Emeralie pulled up, and flew past the tree canopies, up into the air, then kept a level flight. Charles decided to pull off a different tactic. Emeralie glanced back and saw no one. She started to look down at the jungle, trying to find him. Then, she felt a rush of energy. From a different location, Charles blasted through the trees, straight for her. Alarmed, she flew diagonally down, barely missing him. Charles quickly turned, and went straight for her. Emeralie was about to hit the trees when she pulled up abruptly, keeping a level flight, just a few inched above the trees, veering left or right occasionally to avoid a higher tree. Charles kept up with her easy. _Ok, I really want to catch her now._ He stretched his arms, wishing he was right there, grabbing her, then something unexpected happened. Instantly, his surrounding, in a small fraction of a millisecond, warped, and he was right on top of Emeralie. Without giving it much thought, he grabbed her. Startled, she slowed down, bringing both to a complete stop. Both were hovering high above the trees now.

"How…!"

"That's what I'd like to know. One second, I was out of reach, the next, I was over you!", Charles replied.

_He seems to have a hang at discovering his abilities…_ Emeralie thought.

"That's teleportation. Basically, you put your mind on a specific location, how you want to be when you get there, and basically, it happens. That ability is due to the Chaos Emeralds you have infused within you. Usually, you can't teleport to places you have never seen, so you have to have an intimate knowledge of the place. Also, you will feel a blockage if the space is already occupied by another mass, and you won't teleport, which is a great safety measure. Now, let's see how you get the full hang of it.". With this, she pointed at a mountain. "Teleport to the tip of it, flying straight above it, then teleport back beside me".

Charles looked over to the mountain and did the same ting in his mind when he teleported above Emeralie. With a slight bit of concentration, he disappeared and materialized right above the top of the mountain. Then, he teleported back beside Emeralie, amazed by his new-found ability.

"Now, teleport to the tip, but upside down. The teleport beside me, right side up."

Charles did the same, only varying his position. He teleported successfully upside down, then back right side up. Ignoring Emeralie, he kept doing it, using different positions, until he could do it instantly at will. "It's so easy!"

"I'm glad you got it! Now, let's see if you can do it while moving. Try catching me using a combination of flight and teleport!" With this, she sped off again.

Charles flew towards a random direction and arched his flight path towards Emeralie, this time, going faster than ever. Emeralie gasped as she saw Charles zooming past her. She stared at him, only to see him vanish…

…and feel his arms around her waist.

"GOTCHAA!", giggled Charles.

_Showoff…_ "Okay, you got the hang of it, then," Emeralie smiled.

The entire day, Charles and Emeralie kept training on flight, speed, and teleportation techniques. By night, they found the small cave where they slept the other night. It was very windy that night, and very cold. Emeralie insisted that Charles should cover himself completely with the comforter, and not share it. Charles agreed, after failing to convince her, and slept with the comforter. Later that night, he woke up, and found Emeralie shivering tremendously in her sleep. He got up and wrapped her up in the comforter, and he hugged her, keeping her warm. A happy sigh escaped her lips as he took care of her.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Time to see how you avoid enemy attacks."

The next day, Charles and Emeralie were in the desert. Emeralie was armed with a thick stick, and Charles was armed as well with another stick. Emeralie had a wicked grin on her face, and Charles knew this was what she liked. Fighting.

"Ok, I'll attack you with weak strikes. You try to block them without moving too much. Use your stick to block them. If you feel confident, use, your hands, but if I see that you do, I will hit you hard! Got it?" Charles nodded in approval.

Without warning, Emeralie lunged forward and made a downward strike with her stick. Charles blocked this, and she came with a sideways strike, which he blocked with his stick. She started to hit him randomly, but every time, Charles blocked it effortlessly. Over time, she sped up her attacks and the strength of the swings, but only succeeded in chipping of chunks of wood from both sticks, as Charles blocked them fairly easy. Next, they moved on to dodging. Charles was unarmed this time, and Emeralie started swinging at him, and he stayed in one place, dodging every swing, sometimes by a long shot, sometimes dangerously close. Then, Emeralie herself was unarmed, and she started swinging her fists and kicking at Charles, but he either blocked them all, or dodged her altogether. Emeralie was panting after the session, however, Charles still hasn't broken a sweat.

"Phew… that was great…!", panted Emeralie.

Charles was discovering a side of him that he never knew he had. He was enjoying this. The heat of battle, it was all too intoxicating. But there was something else. He felt like if he already knew how to fight.

"Heads up!', screamed Charles.

Emeralie looked up, only to see him flying straight for her. She knew what this meant: he was ready to initiate a real fight. She started to block all of his blows, but was having great difficulty doing so. "Where… did… you… learn… to… fight!?", she managed to say between blows. Charles just shook his head as he did a skillful sweep kick, making her lose her flying control. He teleported and grabbed her from behind in a necklock. After a few seconds, Charles hovered a few feet away from her. She turned to face him, red-faced and panting heavily.

"Who… are… you…?"

"I'm Charles."

It is amazing how one can manage a face-fault when said person is hovering a few hundred feet in the air.

Emeralie got out of the crater she formed, very annoyed. Charles landed close to her, amused.

"Very funny, mister! You know what I mean! You aced the basic training easily, you found out how to fly, teleport and fight by yourself, and you made me look like I'm on Kindergarten! Are you sure you never did this in your life!", screamed Emeralie. Charles just shook his head.

_Ok… this guy is officially creeping me out. He must really be the chosen one!_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

At night, both were eating fruits by the campfire. Emeralie spoke.

"Charles, do you know about the Universal Diamond?"

In recognition, Charles looked up, swallowed his food, and answered, "Yeah. Sonic told me about it before he died, something about finding it and bringing it to the 'Defender'. He told me it was here, on planet Earth." Emeralie nodded in acknowledgment. "Yes, Charles, it's here on Earth, buried in a island, but not this one. And I think you are the Defender he was talking about."

"Me?", Charles asked. _It can't be me… it just can't be._

"You are a human and emperor hedgehog hybrid. It's plausible. But first, we complete your training, eh? I have to teach you something valuable. How to morph from one body to the other!"

"Come again?" Charles was lost.

"Morph! Didn't Sonic tell you he also passed on his form?"

Charles thought for a second, and recalled Sonic's words when he had transferred his powers onto him. "'...and something else', he said..." Charles whispered. "He passed on his form to me? As in, I can become him?"

Emeralie stood up. "Wanna try it?"

"Is it permanent?" Charles cautiously asked. Emeralie shook her head.

Charles stood up. Emeralie backed away a few feet. "You'll do me a favor if you get away from the fire. The first time hurts. A lot", she warned. Charles just whimpered.

"Now, concentrate on Sonic's body. Picture it in your mind."

Charles closed his eyes for a moment, then responded.

"Done."

Emeralie took a deep breath. "Now say 'Sonic transform.'"

"Sonic transform", said Charles. Nothing happened.

"Say it like you mean it."

Charles took a deep breath, then spoke in a firm, commanding voice.

"SONIC TRANSFORM!"

And then experienced the first feeling of extreme pain.

"AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

Charles fell to the floor, writhing in agony, as he felt his muscles contract and expand, his bones crack and snap, and every nerve ending screaming, begging for mercy at the unforgiving pain, which responded with even more pain. Emeralie watched the whole spectacle, clearly frightened. She trembled slightly as Charles, now being covered with blue fur, screamed at the top of his lungs, trying to divert the pain out of his mouth with the scream, but to no avail. His body contracted, lots of sickening sounds coming from his bones as they changed into yet another type. Spiked hair protruded from his head, one quill after the other. His face changed, his nose shortened and blackened, and his eyes grew bigger. All this occurred in 20 seconds, then everything became black.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Charles?"

He opened his eyes slowly, the pain having not yet subsided completely, but well on its way. He beheld Emeralie as she was patting his forehead with a damp cloth. He stood up, feeling very strange. He looked down at himself and gasped at the figure he now beheld. Running a bit to a pool of water, he peered at his face, and his eyes grew wide in recognition. It wasn't him. It was Sonic. Only, instead of charred, he was now cobalt blue, and in perfect condition. He felt even more lightweight than before. It was an incredible sensation.

Emeralie walked over, looking at the hedgehog. "The first time it hurts, but the second time will hurt considerably less. I believe 5 or 6 transformations will get rid of the pain altogether, and in a couple dozen ones, you should be able to instantly change. Saying 'Sonic Detransform' will revert you back to your human form. There's no limit to how many times you morph, and later on, you'll be able to change without even saying the command. So... how does it feel... Sonic?"

Sonic looked up at Emeralie, grinning. "This feels even more incredible than I ever would've imagined."

"And now, the REAL training begins!"

- - - - - - - - - -

**To be continued...**


End file.
